The Green Office program

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• The Green Office program
• Sustainable Use of Office Equipment

Darren Moore, Emma Faure and Lisa Ly
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Presentation Outline

• Green Office Program overview
• Sustainable Use of Office Equipment
• Questions/open discussion
• Feedback from paper theme
• General green office issues
• Future themes

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Overview

• Linked to Sustainable Swinburne initiative
• Permanent University-wide program
• Coordinated by National Centre for Sustainability
• Staff
• Website
• Green Office section on NCS website
• Regularly updated
• http//www.swin.edu.au/ncs/research-projects/green
  office/reps.htm

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The story so far

• Selective invitations initially
• Dept managers asked to nominate a GOR
• Good initial response but need more recruits
• First seminar in March
• Theme 1 Paper
• Environmental Office Assessment
• To collect baseline data
• Official email
• Much better response

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Higher Education Org chart
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Green Office Representatives

• What is the role of a GOR?
• Gain knowledge
• Take action
• Encourage others
• Monitor progress
• Report findings to NCS
• Ask questions

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Communication is the key
Campus Groups
NCS GORS
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Ultimate aim

• Environmental savings
• Purchase only energy efficient equipment
• Recycle 100 of all toner cartridges
• Financial savings
• Efficient use of resource
• Departmental and university-wide
• Social benefits
• Healthier work environment
• Improve sense of community among staff

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Sustainable Use of Office Equipment
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Computers

• Power management options
• Disable screen saver
• Uses more energy than when in use
• Extending the life of the screen irrelevant
  (generally replaced before the end of its life)
• Shorten turn off monitor times
• Can save up to 30 per monitor/yr
• Not for hard drives (ITS recommendation)

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Computers

• What about recycling?
• At Swinburne, old TAFE computers are reused or
  sold to staff/students
• Higher Ed leases computers so they are returned
  to supplier
• NCS is investigating other options
• IBL students to rebuild old machines and sell to
  public

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Computers

• Did you know..
• Switching off your monitor when not in use can
  save almost 30 and 400 kilograms of greenhouse
  gas emissions per year
• How many monitors are in your office?
• How many across the Swinburne?

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Photocopiers and Printers

• Avoid using in the first place
• Store information electronically
• Meeting agendas/minutes
• Emails
• Use PowerPoint presentations instead of handouts
  at meetings
• Ask yourself
• Do I really need a hardcopy for the file?
• Will everybody at this meeting really need a
  hardcopy, or can I just refer them to a web
  link?
• Saves energy, paper, money, time..!

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Photocopiers and Printers

• Power saving modes
• Set default sleep times to as low as possible
• Printing/copying techniques
• Economy mode/draft mode
• Photocopy in batches
• Turn off at night!

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Photocopiers and Printers

• Did you know..
• An average photocopier left on continuously for
  7 years will create 80 tonnes of CO2 emissions
  and consume 1500 of electricity

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Consumables

• Types of consumables
• Fax/printer cartridges, drum units, printer
  ribbons, toner cartridges
• Significant financial/environmental cost
• Print in economy/draft mode instead to extend the
  life of the cartridge

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Consumables

• What about recycling?
• All imaging consumables can be recycled
• Cartridges 4 Planet Ark
• FREE collection service
• Six offices in Swinburne currently use this
  service
• Nearby offices can share

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Consumables

• Did you know..
• In 2004, Australians used more than 18 million
  toner cartridges, resulting in 1500 tonnes of
  non-biodegradable waste. Thats enough to fill
  the MCG up to 1 metre deep.

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Products made from recyclede-waste
Biome Living
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Questions/open discussion